Today we made the decision to stay behind and rest up a bit. The combination of a sore back and chilly, rainy weather made it an easy decision. With no regrets, we watched as our compadres headed off for the day.

We, on the other hand, stayed aboard the boat and sailed with a dozen others to the eventual meeting point in the town of Ybbs. Along the way, we enjoyed some beautiful scenery….

… and then we traveled through another lock…

…and stayed dry and comfortable.

It also gave us an opportunity to meet some of the others who also stayed aboard.

We welcomed the others back aboard ship in Ybbs around 1:00 pm – just in time for lunch – I’m betting the kitchen went through more hot soup today than any other day. Our luncheon friends filled us in on their adventures while we ate.

The ship sailed on as we ate and then continued for a while into the afternoon. We arrived at the town of Grein at about 4:00 pm and then there was a visit to the nearby castle. It was still drizzly and chilly, so we stayed cozy on board.

The daily Sip and Sail happy hour provided some time to hear from more folks about the excursions. It sounded like an enjoyable day, but we were very content with our day too! We also got instructions for our day tomorrow from Kristina, so we’ll be ready in the morning.

Dinner was once again a treat. I selected the Chef’s recommendation which started with seared tuna, then a carrot and ginger soup, followed by beef tenderloin and dauphinois potatoes and finished off with a chocolate mousse.

Sue went with the green salad, then the carrot and ginger soup and finished with lobster in a polenta cream sauce.

We both really enjoyed our meals. Very delicious and perfect portion size.

Following dinner, we joined the group in the lounge. Tonight was a karaoke party and it was fun listening to the various people belting out the tunes. Sixties and seventies tunes were perennial crowd favorites with everyone singing along on the crowd favorites.

I’m sure the question you want to ask is: Did you participate or did you just sit and listen?

Yes, we participated.

What songs?

Bon Jovi’s – Living on a prayer and Neil Diamond’s – Sweet Caroline.

And no, we weren’t intoxicated, we were just having a good time. It was a fun night and we have a fun group.